Summary:
In the final chapter, Nick is recalling everything that happened after Gatsby's death. Nick gets the funeral together and tries to get people to come, yet the only people who attend are Gatsby's father, Nick, and Owl Eyes. Nick tries to call the Buchanan's and finds out that they have gone away for an undetermined amount of time. Gatsby's father, Mr. Gatz, stays at his son's house and is amazed at all of the fine things that are there and he tells Nick all about James Gatz as a child. The chapter ends with Nick moving back home and reflecting over that summer and Gatsby's life.
Character:
Tom and Daisy Buchanan:
-"I couldn't forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..." (FITZGERALD 179)
- Both of the Buchanan's are rude, selfish, rich, and careless. They do not care about other people and they stir up drama with other people's lives just to entertain themselves.
- At the beginning of the book, Daisy seems beautiful and lovely but by the end of the book we realize what a terrible woman she is and that she has no consideration for other people's lives.
- Tom is consistently portrayed as being a jerk who is completely full of himself. He is obsessed with obtaining more objects, both inanimate and human beings. If he had the same attitude, but no money, no one would like him and he would have been completely alone.
The Buchanan's are terrible people. They don't care about anyone but themselves and other people's lives and hardships do not faze them in the least bit. Like the quote says, they tear up other people's lives and then hide behind their money to avoid blame. Daisy has an affair with Gatsby and she knows that he feels very strongly for her and she does not feel the same way, yet she completely leads him on and then runs away from him without leaving him a note or calling him. She comes into his life, completely messes it up, and then runs away scott free. In conclusion, the Buchanan's are the antagonists of the story and although are not directly responsible, they cause the death of Jay Gatsby.
Meaningful Quote:
- "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no mater- t-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther..... And one fine morning- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
- I chose this quote because it concludes the book and talks about the "green light" which is the central theme throughout the story. Daisy was Gatsby's green light, his goal, his dream, the reason he woke up in the morning. He built her up to such high standards, that there was no way she could live up to his expectations, but just the possibility of having her is what kept him going. This quote really made me think and reflect on everything I learned throughout this book.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Chapter 8 (p.147-162)
Summary:
This chapter begins with Nick being unable to sleep because he felt that he needed to tell Gatsby something important. He and Gatsby search for cigarettes in Gatsby's "huge" house and he tells Nick more about how he fell in love with Daisy. Nick then goes to work, yet all day he is worried about Gatsby and Gatsby is at home all day waiting for Daisy to call him. Nick talks to Jordan and they mutually end their relationship. When Nick comes home, he goes straight to Gatsby's house where he discovers that George Wilson shot both Gatsby and himself.
Character:
Jay Gatsby:
-"It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end. First he nodded politely, and then his face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we'd been in ecstatics cahoots on that facet all the time. His gorgeous pink rag of a suit made a bright spot of color against the white steps, and I thought of the night when I first came to his ancestral home, three months before. The lawn and drive had been crowded with the faces of those who guessed at his corruption- and he had stood on those steps, concealing his incorruptible dream, as he waved them good-by." (FITZGERALD 154)
- Gatsby is described as being hospitable.
- He's in love with Daisy and she is his ultimate goal in life. He has focused his entire life to try and win her back.
In this chapter, Gatsby is shot by George Wilson. In order for Fitzgerald to fully get across his message, Gatsby needed to die. He needed to maintain his innocence in thinking that he still had a chance with Daisy, that she still loved him and was going to run away with him. In the bible, Moses reaches the promised land, but right as he sees it, he dies. Similarly, Gatsby finally sees Daisy and begins to have an affair with her and even though she tells him that she did love Tom at one point and when it becomes evident that she never planned to run away with him, he still believes that their love has a chance, but then he dies. In his final moments, he was probably thinking of Daisy and of how much he loved her and wanted to be with her and also thinking that maybe she didn't live up to the standards he created for her. Yet, before he has a chance to really think about that last part, George Wilson shoots him, and Gatsby is left only with what could have happened.
Meaningful Quote:
- " 'They're a rotten crowd,' I shouted across the lawn. 'You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.' "
- I chose this quote because it shows Nick judging other people, something he told the readers he never did in the first chapter. By saying this to Gatsby, we can see how much Nick has changed throughout the book. He started off trying to be a good person and not judging people no matter how hard it was. Yet, by the end of the book, the people he has been hanging out with, Tom, Daisy, Jordan, etc., have completely worn him out and he just has to get out what he truly thinks of them. Also, saying this to Gatsby is meant to be a compliment and it is the only compliment that Nick gives him throughout the entire book.
This chapter begins with Nick being unable to sleep because he felt that he needed to tell Gatsby something important. He and Gatsby search for cigarettes in Gatsby's "huge" house and he tells Nick more about how he fell in love with Daisy. Nick then goes to work, yet all day he is worried about Gatsby and Gatsby is at home all day waiting for Daisy to call him. Nick talks to Jordan and they mutually end their relationship. When Nick comes home, he goes straight to Gatsby's house where he discovers that George Wilson shot both Gatsby and himself.
Character:
Jay Gatsby:
-"It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end. First he nodded politely, and then his face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we'd been in ecstatics cahoots on that facet all the time. His gorgeous pink rag of a suit made a bright spot of color against the white steps, and I thought of the night when I first came to his ancestral home, three months before. The lawn and drive had been crowded with the faces of those who guessed at his corruption- and he had stood on those steps, concealing his incorruptible dream, as he waved them good-by." (FITZGERALD 154)
- Gatsby is described as being hospitable.
- He's in love with Daisy and she is his ultimate goal in life. He has focused his entire life to try and win her back.
In this chapter, Gatsby is shot by George Wilson. In order for Fitzgerald to fully get across his message, Gatsby needed to die. He needed to maintain his innocence in thinking that he still had a chance with Daisy, that she still loved him and was going to run away with him. In the bible, Moses reaches the promised land, but right as he sees it, he dies. Similarly, Gatsby finally sees Daisy and begins to have an affair with her and even though she tells him that she did love Tom at one point and when it becomes evident that she never planned to run away with him, he still believes that their love has a chance, but then he dies. In his final moments, he was probably thinking of Daisy and of how much he loved her and wanted to be with her and also thinking that maybe she didn't live up to the standards he created for her. Yet, before he has a chance to really think about that last part, George Wilson shoots him, and Gatsby is left only with what could have happened.
Meaningful Quote:
- " 'They're a rotten crowd,' I shouted across the lawn. 'You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.' "
- I chose this quote because it shows Nick judging other people, something he told the readers he never did in the first chapter. By saying this to Gatsby, we can see how much Nick has changed throughout the book. He started off trying to be a good person and not judging people no matter how hard it was. Yet, by the end of the book, the people he has been hanging out with, Tom, Daisy, Jordan, etc., have completely worn him out and he just has to get out what he truly thinks of them. Also, saying this to Gatsby is meant to be a compliment and it is the only compliment that Nick gives him throughout the entire book.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Chapter 7 (p.113-145)
Summary:
This chapter begins with Gatsby firing all of his servants and hiring friends of Wolfsheim so that there will not be any gossip about his and Daisy's affair. Jordan, Nick, and Gatsby all go over to the Buchanan's house for lunch, and it is then that Tom realizes Daisy is having an affair with Gatsby. They go into the city and rent a hotel room to sit in and there Gatsby makes Daisy tell Tom that she never loved him. On the way home, Daisy and Gatsby hit Myrtle Wilson in a freak accident and she dies. At the very end of the chapter, Nick sees Gatsby standing outside of Daisy and Tom's house "keeping watch" in case Tom tries to go into her room and hurt her, but when Nick walks their window, he sees Tom and Daisy talking normally and eating dinner.
Character:
George Wilson
- "[...] he was one of these worn-out men: when he wasn't working, he sat on a chair in the doorway and stared at the people and the cars that passed along the road. When any one spoke to him he invariably laughed in an agreeable, colorless way. He was his wife's man and not his own." (FITZGERALD 136)
- George is described as being a bit of an idiot because he does not realize that his wife is having an affair. However, he seems to be a nice guy who really loves his wife.
- It seems that in this chapter, he goes a little bit crazy. He tells his neighbor, "I've got my wife locked in up there [...] She's going to stay there till the day after to-morrow, and then we're going to move away." (FITZGERALD 136)
- Nick thinks that he is sick because he realized that Myrtle was cheating on him and the thought of it made him physically ill.
-- "He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick." (FITZGERALD 124)
- In this chapter, we feel bad because we realize that George's life is kind of pathetic and sad. He has spent the last 10 or 15 years loving his wife unconditionally, doing everything he can for her, and he then finds out that she doesn't love him and that she's having an affair. The shock of finding out about Myrtle's affair makes him physically sick and he goes crazy and locks Myrtle in their house until they can run away. It seems as if all George wants out of life was to make a sufficient living and love his wife, yet Myrtle never realized that. When she is hit by the car, George completely falls apart and can't stop screaming and moaning. George is an important character because as the story evolves we just feel more and more bad for him.
Meaningful Quote:
"He put his hands in his coat pockets and turned back eagerly to his scrutiny of the house, as though my presence marred the sacredness of the vigil. So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight- watching over nothing." (FITZGERALD 145)
- This quote stood out to me because it made me feel very sad. Gatsby has been in love with Daisy for 5 years and his sole purpose in life has been trying to get her back. Yet, Daisy has forgotten about him, gotten married, and had a child. However, Gatsby still believes that she has never loved Tom and that they are going to run away together. Gatsby is standing outside of Daisy's house, watching her bedroom window to make sure that Tom doesn't try to hurt her. Instead of being in her room, Daisy and Tom are sitting in their kitchen, eating dinner and looking relatively normal. So, Gatsby believes he is watching over the woman he loves, while in reality he is staring at a window that shows an empty room.
This chapter begins with Gatsby firing all of his servants and hiring friends of Wolfsheim so that there will not be any gossip about his and Daisy's affair. Jordan, Nick, and Gatsby all go over to the Buchanan's house for lunch, and it is then that Tom realizes Daisy is having an affair with Gatsby. They go into the city and rent a hotel room to sit in and there Gatsby makes Daisy tell Tom that she never loved him. On the way home, Daisy and Gatsby hit Myrtle Wilson in a freak accident and she dies. At the very end of the chapter, Nick sees Gatsby standing outside of Daisy and Tom's house "keeping watch" in case Tom tries to go into her room and hurt her, but when Nick walks their window, he sees Tom and Daisy talking normally and eating dinner.
Character:
George Wilson
- "[...] he was one of these worn-out men: when he wasn't working, he sat on a chair in the doorway and stared at the people and the cars that passed along the road. When any one spoke to him he invariably laughed in an agreeable, colorless way. He was his wife's man and not his own." (FITZGERALD 136)
- George is described as being a bit of an idiot because he does not realize that his wife is having an affair. However, he seems to be a nice guy who really loves his wife.
- It seems that in this chapter, he goes a little bit crazy. He tells his neighbor, "I've got my wife locked in up there [...] She's going to stay there till the day after to-morrow, and then we're going to move away." (FITZGERALD 136)
- Nick thinks that he is sick because he realized that Myrtle was cheating on him and the thought of it made him physically ill.
-- "He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick." (FITZGERALD 124)
- In this chapter, we feel bad because we realize that George's life is kind of pathetic and sad. He has spent the last 10 or 15 years loving his wife unconditionally, doing everything he can for her, and he then finds out that she doesn't love him and that she's having an affair. The shock of finding out about Myrtle's affair makes him physically sick and he goes crazy and locks Myrtle in their house until they can run away. It seems as if all George wants out of life was to make a sufficient living and love his wife, yet Myrtle never realized that. When she is hit by the car, George completely falls apart and can't stop screaming and moaning. George is an important character because as the story evolves we just feel more and more bad for him.
Meaningful Quote:
"He put his hands in his coat pockets and turned back eagerly to his scrutiny of the house, as though my presence marred the sacredness of the vigil. So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight- watching over nothing." (FITZGERALD 145)
- This quote stood out to me because it made me feel very sad. Gatsby has been in love with Daisy for 5 years and his sole purpose in life has been trying to get her back. Yet, Daisy has forgotten about him, gotten married, and had a child. However, Gatsby still believes that she has never loved Tom and that they are going to run away together. Gatsby is standing outside of Daisy's house, watching her bedroom window to make sure that Tom doesn't try to hurt her. Instead of being in her room, Daisy and Tom are sitting in their kitchen, eating dinner and looking relatively normal. So, Gatsby believes he is watching over the woman he loves, while in reality he is staring at a window that shows an empty room.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Chapter 6 (p. 97-111)
Summary:
In this chapter, we learn the confusing truth about Gatsby's past. His name was James Gatz and he met Dan Cody, a rich millionaire, in a chance coincidence encounter on his yacht and it seems to be where Gatsby got a taste of the upper class. Dan Cody died a mysterious death and Gatsby was supposed to inherit all of his money, but he never did. This information doesn't give us too much detail on who Gatsby really is because it's vague and very confusing. Also in this chapter, Daisy and Tom both attend a party at Gatsby's and Tom begins to question who Gatsby is and why he has so much money.
Character:
Tom Buchanan
"Now he was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body- he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage- a cruel body." (FITZGERALD 7)
- Tom is an arrogant, racist, and selfish man.
- Daisy describes him as being "a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen[...]" (FITZGERALD 12)
- He collects objects; that's why his house is so big and fancy and why he spends so much money. Daisy, their child, and Myrtle are all just more objects for his collection.
- In this chapter, Tom repeatedly questions how Gatsby has acquired all of his money and accuses him of being a "bootlegger".
-Tom Buchanan is a character that we as readers immediately don't like as soon as we read about him. He's full of himself, he's a racist, he doesn't respect women or his 'friends', his main focus in life is to be better than everyone else, and he uses his money to collect objects that he can show off. Basically, he's an annoying jerk. However, when he and Daisy first got married, she was absolutely in love with him. Jordan Baker says, "I thought I'd never seen a girl so mad about her husband... It was touching to seem them together-it made you laugh in a hushed, fascinated way." (FITZGERALD 77) Now, Tom is having an affair, Daisy is aware of it, and there love is completely gone. When Gatsby tells Tom that he knows Daisy, Tom wonders how they met and then the next weekend accompanies Daisy to his party. Because of the type of guy he is, we know that he is probably jealous of Gatsby and worried of losing Daisy, not that he loves her, but because she's a possession. Tom will continue to be an important character because of his marriage to Daisy and his interest in Gatsby's life.
Meaningful Quote:
"[...] I felt an unpleasantness in the air, a pervading harshness that hadn't been there before. Or perhaps I had merely grown used to it, grown to accept West Egg as a world complete in itself, with its own standards and its own great figures, second to nothing because it had no consciousness of being so, and now I was looking at it again, through Daisy's eyes. It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment." (FITZGERALD 104)
- I chose this quote because it was Nick's view on the West Egg and then how he thought Daisy viewed it. It stood out to me because it's always interesting to think of how someone else views something that you have strong opinions on. I love my house, but if some other person came and looked at it for the first time, they might notice all the chips in the paint, the warped floors, the mold on the bathroom ceiling, the mismatching blinds, and regard it with disgust rather than love. But you never know what someone else is truly thinking, so it's always interesting to think about it.
In this chapter, we learn the confusing truth about Gatsby's past. His name was James Gatz and he met Dan Cody, a rich millionaire, in a chance coincidence encounter on his yacht and it seems to be where Gatsby got a taste of the upper class. Dan Cody died a mysterious death and Gatsby was supposed to inherit all of his money, but he never did. This information doesn't give us too much detail on who Gatsby really is because it's vague and very confusing. Also in this chapter, Daisy and Tom both attend a party at Gatsby's and Tom begins to question who Gatsby is and why he has so much money.
Character:
Tom Buchanan
"Now he was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body- he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. It was a body capable of enormous leverage- a cruel body." (FITZGERALD 7)
- Tom is an arrogant, racist, and selfish man.
- Daisy describes him as being "a brute of a man, a great, big, hulking physical specimen[...]" (FITZGERALD 12)
- He collects objects; that's why his house is so big and fancy and why he spends so much money. Daisy, their child, and Myrtle are all just more objects for his collection.
- In this chapter, Tom repeatedly questions how Gatsby has acquired all of his money and accuses him of being a "bootlegger".
-Tom Buchanan is a character that we as readers immediately don't like as soon as we read about him. He's full of himself, he's a racist, he doesn't respect women or his 'friends', his main focus in life is to be better than everyone else, and he uses his money to collect objects that he can show off. Basically, he's an annoying jerk. However, when he and Daisy first got married, she was absolutely in love with him. Jordan Baker says, "I thought I'd never seen a girl so mad about her husband... It was touching to seem them together-it made you laugh in a hushed, fascinated way." (FITZGERALD 77) Now, Tom is having an affair, Daisy is aware of it, and there love is completely gone. When Gatsby tells Tom that he knows Daisy, Tom wonders how they met and then the next weekend accompanies Daisy to his party. Because of the type of guy he is, we know that he is probably jealous of Gatsby and worried of losing Daisy, not that he loves her, but because she's a possession. Tom will continue to be an important character because of his marriage to Daisy and his interest in Gatsby's life.
Meaningful Quote:
"[...] I felt an unpleasantness in the air, a pervading harshness that hadn't been there before. Or perhaps I had merely grown used to it, grown to accept West Egg as a world complete in itself, with its own standards and its own great figures, second to nothing because it had no consciousness of being so, and now I was looking at it again, through Daisy's eyes. It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment." (FITZGERALD 104)
- I chose this quote because it was Nick's view on the West Egg and then how he thought Daisy viewed it. It stood out to me because it's always interesting to think of how someone else views something that you have strong opinions on. I love my house, but if some other person came and looked at it for the first time, they might notice all the chips in the paint, the warped floors, the mold on the bathroom ceiling, the mismatching blinds, and regard it with disgust rather than love. But you never know what someone else is truly thinking, so it's always interesting to think about it.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Chapter 5 (p. 81- 96)
Summary:
In this chapter, Nick comes home late at night and Gatsby is waiting out on his lawn to talk to him. Nick says that he'll ask Daisy to come over in a few days and Gatsby offers him a business deal, which Nick declines. Daisy agrees to come over without knowing that Gatsby will also be there and he spends the day before her arrival cleaning up Nick's house and making everything look perfect. For the first part of Daisy's visit, it is painfully awkward and Gatsby worries that this whole thing was a mistake, but Nick goes outside for a bit and he and Daisy are able to rekindle their relationship. He then shows Nick and Daisy his house, which seems like an attempt to impress her, and after a little while, Nick feels like a third wheel and he leaves them alone in Gatsby's house.
Character:
Nick Carraway
"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." (FITZGERALD 59)
- Nick is completely honest and does not lie.
- He doesn't judge people.
- He tries to help people when he can, but it seems as though he often considers their problems as petty and over-thought.
-Nick is the narrator of the story. We know that we can trust what he says because he tells us that he does not judge people and that he always tells the truth. During this chapter, we can see that he is annoyed by Gatsby because he feels that he is being used. When he and Daisy are having tea, he feels completely awkward and even leaves because he can't stand to be there. It seems to me that Nick seems to know something about life that everyone else doesn't. He's not concerned with fitting in or being part of the "upper class" and it seems that he thinks people who do don't really have anything more important to focus their lives on. He is obviously an important character in the book because he's the narrator but he also plays an important role in all of the other characters lives.
Meaningful Quote:
"They were sitting at either end of the couch, looking at each other as if some question had been asked, or was in the air, and every vestige of embarrassment was gone. Daisy's face was smeared with tears, and when I came in she jumped up and began wiping at it with her handkerchief before a mirror. But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed; without a word or gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room." (FITZGERALD 89)
- I chose this quote because it showed how special Gatsby and Daisy's relationship really was. They both care about each other very much and they haven't forgotten each other even though it's been 5 years since they last saw each other. Gatsby "glowed" just being around her and that showed that he was truly in love with her and had been since the first time he saw her.
In this chapter, Nick comes home late at night and Gatsby is waiting out on his lawn to talk to him. Nick says that he'll ask Daisy to come over in a few days and Gatsby offers him a business deal, which Nick declines. Daisy agrees to come over without knowing that Gatsby will also be there and he spends the day before her arrival cleaning up Nick's house and making everything look perfect. For the first part of Daisy's visit, it is painfully awkward and Gatsby worries that this whole thing was a mistake, but Nick goes outside for a bit and he and Daisy are able to rekindle their relationship. He then shows Nick and Daisy his house, which seems like an attempt to impress her, and after a little while, Nick feels like a third wheel and he leaves them alone in Gatsby's house.
Character:
Nick Carraway
"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." (FITZGERALD 59)
- Nick is completely honest and does not lie.
- He doesn't judge people.
- He tries to help people when he can, but it seems as though he often considers their problems as petty and over-thought.
-Nick is the narrator of the story. We know that we can trust what he says because he tells us that he does not judge people and that he always tells the truth. During this chapter, we can see that he is annoyed by Gatsby because he feels that he is being used. When he and Daisy are having tea, he feels completely awkward and even leaves because he can't stand to be there. It seems to me that Nick seems to know something about life that everyone else doesn't. He's not concerned with fitting in or being part of the "upper class" and it seems that he thinks people who do don't really have anything more important to focus their lives on. He is obviously an important character in the book because he's the narrator but he also plays an important role in all of the other characters lives.
Meaningful Quote:
"They were sitting at either end of the couch, looking at each other as if some question had been asked, or was in the air, and every vestige of embarrassment was gone. Daisy's face was smeared with tears, and when I came in she jumped up and began wiping at it with her handkerchief before a mirror. But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed; without a word or gesture of exultation a new well-being radiated from him and filled the little room." (FITZGERALD 89)
- I chose this quote because it showed how special Gatsby and Daisy's relationship really was. They both care about each other very much and they haven't forgotten each other even though it's been 5 years since they last saw each other. Gatsby "glowed" just being around her and that showed that he was truly in love with her and had been since the first time he saw her.
Chapter 4 (p. 61-80)
Summary:
At the very beginning of the story, Nick lists all of the people who went to Gatsby's house that summer and all of them are very rich and well-known people. Also, Nick goes to lunch with Gatsby and Gatsby tells him that he is going to be asking him a large favor very soon. Gatsby tells Nick more about his life, what happened to his parents, that he went to Oxford and that he was in WWI. After his lunch with Gatsby, Nick goes out with Jordan Baker and she tells him that Gatsby is in love with Daisy Buchanan and that they had a relationship before he went to the war but when he got home from the war, she had already married Tom. She then reveals that the favor Gatsby wants is for Nick to invite Daisy over for tea one day.
Character:
Jay Gatsby:
"He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly America- that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work or rigid sitting in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness. He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand." (FITZGERALD 64)
- Gatsby has a ridiculous amount of money, yet no one really knows where it came from or what he does for a living.
- He's very mysterious, no one knows any concrete details about his life, he's very sly and doesn't reveal much information about himself.
-Gatsby is the most interesting character we've me throughout this whole book. We still don't know much about him, however with every chapter we learn a little bit more about who he really is. When it is revealed that Gatsby is in love with Daisy, many pieces of the story fit together. For example, in the very first chapter, Nick sees Gatsby standing at the end of his dock reaching towards a green light at the end of a dock at East Egg. It now makes sense that he was reaching for Daisy, since that is where she lives. Gatsby will continue to be an important character because of his relationship with Daisy and how much he wants to see her again.
Meaningful Quote:
"On Sunday morning while church bells rang in the villages alongshore, the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby's house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn." (FITZGERALD 61)
- This quote stood out to me because it was again talking about Gatsby's house and the many people he constantly entertained. "The world and its mistress" is similar to saying "everyone and his brother" because it is just giving a visual on how many people were constantly at his house.
At the very beginning of the story, Nick lists all of the people who went to Gatsby's house that summer and all of them are very rich and well-known people. Also, Nick goes to lunch with Gatsby and Gatsby tells him that he is going to be asking him a large favor very soon. Gatsby tells Nick more about his life, what happened to his parents, that he went to Oxford and that he was in WWI. After his lunch with Gatsby, Nick goes out with Jordan Baker and she tells him that Gatsby is in love with Daisy Buchanan and that they had a relationship before he went to the war but when he got home from the war, she had already married Tom. She then reveals that the favor Gatsby wants is for Nick to invite Daisy over for tea one day.
Character:
Jay Gatsby:
"He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly America- that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work or rigid sitting in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness. He was never quite still; there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand." (FITZGERALD 64)
- Gatsby has a ridiculous amount of money, yet no one really knows where it came from or what he does for a living.
- He's very mysterious, no one knows any concrete details about his life, he's very sly and doesn't reveal much information about himself.
-Gatsby is the most interesting character we've me throughout this whole book. We still don't know much about him, however with every chapter we learn a little bit more about who he really is. When it is revealed that Gatsby is in love with Daisy, many pieces of the story fit together. For example, in the very first chapter, Nick sees Gatsby standing at the end of his dock reaching towards a green light at the end of a dock at East Egg. It now makes sense that he was reaching for Daisy, since that is where she lives. Gatsby will continue to be an important character because of his relationship with Daisy and how much he wants to see her again.
Meaningful Quote:
"On Sunday morning while church bells rang in the villages alongshore, the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby's house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn." (FITZGERALD 61)
- This quote stood out to me because it was again talking about Gatsby's house and the many people he constantly entertained. "The world and its mistress" is similar to saying "everyone and his brother" because it is just giving a visual on how many people were constantly at his house.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Chapter Three (p. 39-59)
Summary:
In Chapter Three, Nick is invited to a party at Jay Gatsby's house for the first time. There he encounters Jordan Baker and accompanies her for the rest of the night. He also finally formally meets Gatsby. Nick describes the party as being huge and glamorous with "finger-bowls" of champagne, a full orchestra, and lot's of people dancing. Towards the end of the chapter, Nick reveals something about his home life, that he has a woman back home who he has been writing too but wants to stop so he can further his relationship with Jordan Baker.
Character:
Jordan Baker
- "Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought to impossible. She was incurably dishonest. She wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body." (FITZGERALD 58)
- She is dishonest and lies a lot.
- People are attracted to her by the way she talks, walks, acts, and by her appearance.
- She also appears to be full of herself, but she may be using that to mask her insecurity.
- Jordan Baker is the one person Nick Carraway knows at the party. As soon as he sees her, he calls out to her and they are inseparable throughout the rest of the night. She's well known and people feel important when they know her. She seems to actually know Gatsby unlike the rest of the guests who are just using him for his house and wealthiness. Even in the first chapter, Nick says that he "likes looking at her". She holds herself well and knows how to talk to people. She will be an important character in this book because Nick obviously is beginning to care about her and wants to further their relationship.
Meaningful Quote:
"It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who hd found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world." (FITZGERALD 44)
- I chose this quote because it showed how popular, yet unknown, Gatsby really is. In this chapter, Nick talks about how he was one of the few people who had actually been invited and when he's eating dinner with the "two girls in yellow" the conversation revolves around the rumors regarding Gatsby's life. His lifestyle intrigues people; he's rich, easy-going, throws a lot of parties, but no one really knows who he is. In fact, when Nick is first talking to him, he doesn't even realize that the man he's talking to is Gatsby. In conclusion, this quote stood out to me because it emphasized the mysteries that surround Jay Gatsby and his life.
In Chapter Three, Nick is invited to a party at Jay Gatsby's house for the first time. There he encounters Jordan Baker and accompanies her for the rest of the night. He also finally formally meets Gatsby. Nick describes the party as being huge and glamorous with "finger-bowls" of champagne, a full orchestra, and lot's of people dancing. Towards the end of the chapter, Nick reveals something about his home life, that he has a woman back home who he has been writing too but wants to stop so he can further his relationship with Jordan Baker.
Character:
Jordan Baker
- "Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought to impossible. She was incurably dishonest. She wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage and, given this unwillingness, I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool, insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard, jaunty body." (FITZGERALD 58)
- She is dishonest and lies a lot.
- People are attracted to her by the way she talks, walks, acts, and by her appearance.
- She also appears to be full of herself, but she may be using that to mask her insecurity.
- Jordan Baker is the one person Nick Carraway knows at the party. As soon as he sees her, he calls out to her and they are inseparable throughout the rest of the night. She's well known and people feel important when they know her. She seems to actually know Gatsby unlike the rest of the guests who are just using him for his house and wealthiness. Even in the first chapter, Nick says that he "likes looking at her". She holds herself well and knows how to talk to people. She will be an important character in this book because Nick obviously is beginning to care about her and wants to further their relationship.
Meaningful Quote:
"It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who hd found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world." (FITZGERALD 44)
- I chose this quote because it showed how popular, yet unknown, Gatsby really is. In this chapter, Nick talks about how he was one of the few people who had actually been invited and when he's eating dinner with the "two girls in yellow" the conversation revolves around the rumors regarding Gatsby's life. His lifestyle intrigues people; he's rich, easy-going, throws a lot of parties, but no one really knows who he is. In fact, when Nick is first talking to him, he doesn't even realize that the man he's talking to is Gatsby. In conclusion, this quote stood out to me because it emphasized the mysteries that surround Jay Gatsby and his life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)